We all have this image in our head of what we aspire to look like surfing.
Elegant, poised, flowing, purposeful in our action. For me that bears no resemblance to the reality of my surfing expertise. I quite literally dream of what it would be like to have Sally’s grace on a board.
You have guests that you just hope will say yes to doing a podcast interview. Sally was one of mine, and I won’t lie, it’s taken us a while to make this work! But, we finally did, and this episode is one of my favourites (and therefore runs a little bit longer than our traditional format, but I’m confident you won’t think it’s an issue).
The time it’s taken to bring this interview to life has given me the opportunity to better understand what Sally has been trying to do with Yonder, the iconic surf community and school she founded with her partner, based in the North East of England. You only have to read Tom’s account on their website of Sally and her drive to understand that everything about this business and their life is a family affair, an organisation forged in deeply held principles and an attitude that they hold dear in everything they do.
What really struck me in the interview is that whilst Sally has a clear goal of getting more women into the lineup, this isn’t just about access. It’s about a fully rounded approach to teaching someone to surf, ensuring that they aren’t just getting up on a board (the approach of many surf schools), they are ingrained in the culture, the knowledge, the etiquette that ensures they have a real place out back and can hold their own once there.
“If I was ever going to go alone and set something up, it would be providing holistic, rounded surfing to really get women and show them a different path into surfing properly. There weren’t any women in the local community. It was about inclusivity, but I hadn’t seen what we do at Yonder anywhere before”
Whether it’s Sally’s background working with The Red Cross and The British Refugee Council, or whether it’s just that she has an incredibly detailed, thoughtful approach to the things she does, this is all about the layers that are preventing access. From the moments where women lose their confidence and connection with themselves and the sea (she’s dug into motherhood as a barrier), or the knowledge and expertise to getting out back, to the more personal connections and community she helps to forge once they are there. She’s systematically peeling away the barriers that women face, a business wrapped in a beautiful, aspirational brand that pulls people in far beyond those she teaches directly.
She shows such respect for the surfing community and how it works, again something far removed from many of the surf schools I’ve encountered around the globe, where it’s a pile them in, get them up, forget them, approach.
“It’s a sensitive, ongoing, existing ecosystem that is already there. If people want to actually develop their surfing, they’re going to have to exist and work in that sensitive ecosystem”
Sally and Tom have become creative collaborators, producing epic short films that not only show the kind of surfing that most of us can only dream of, they also show an ethos they have to family, to travel, to bringing women together.
I remember going to watch Out of Step with my husband at the Finisterre (she’s an ambassador) store in Brighton. We have long been travellers, and took our son round the world for almost 3 years when he was six months old, and did the same when my daughter was a similar age (only to be grounded by Covid, sadly). The film documents Sally and Tom taking Billy out of school for 6 weeks during the winter (now an annual event). Living simply from their car, surfing as they travel the expanse of a country, embracing spontaneity and family time alongside the waves.
We came out of the shop, grabbed a drink, and plotted to sell our belongings and live in a van for evermore. These films carry emotion and hark back to a simpler time, one that I personally yearn for.
All to say, this is a great episode. We cover Sally’s drive to start Yonder, why motherhood is an overlooked barrier to women in surf, her journey in learning to skateboard and what holds her back, and why we wish kids could have more freedom in the UK.
Give it a listen and let me know what you think x
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